Hairpin holding and dispensing device



Oct. 8, 1940. J. R. EARLY 2,216,723

HAIRPIN HOLDING AND DISPENSING DEVICE `f I Inventor 7.13. ZaiZ V By @z Oct. 8, 1940. J. R. EARLY 292%,723

HAIRPIN HOLDING AND DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Aug. 16, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 vOct. 8, 1940.

J. R. EARLY 2,216,723

HAIRPIN HOLDING AND DISPENSING DEVICE Filed Aug. 16, 1938 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 1 /f ami@ hforneys lPatented Oct. 8, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 4 Claims.

The present invention relates to a novel container designed to hold a multiplicity of hairpins and having means therein to dispense the hairpins in such a manner as to facilitate eX- peditious removal such as is found to be desirable in hair-dressing establishments and the like.

I have discovered the need for a practical and efficient means to support and eject a plurality of hairpins in a readily available and easily ac- V cessible manner so that they can be conveniently grasped and employed by hair-dressers and the like. In reducing to practice the preferred embodiment of this concept I have adopted and used a boxlike holder, the same having therein follower means to maintain the hairpins in vertically stacked relationship, additional means being incorporated to elevate a plurality of pins from thepack so that they are figuratively standing above the pack in readiness for expeditious selection and use.

I aim to accomplish the aforementioned result through the medium of simple, efficient and reliable means wherein novelty is primarily predicated on the structure adopted for picking up a plurality of hairpins from the pack where they are properly held in a clear unobstructed position, whereby to avoid fishing for pins in holders from a haphazardly massed and tangled group.

Novelty is also predicated on that phase of the 302 invention which has to do withva -ncvel slotted box provided with complemental tracks, and. a

carriage engageable therewith to support a tiltable follower plate, the latter being important in thatpit constantly presses the pack of hairpins $5 toward and against the coordinated ejector or lifting plate.

Other features and` advantages will become vmore readily apparent from the following description and drawings:

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a holder and dispensing device constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention.`

Figure 2 is a section which may be said to be taken vapproximately upon the plane of the line 2-12 Figure 1, the View being a vertical or transverse section with the essential parts appearing in elevation.

Figure 3 is a central longitudinal sectional view.

rFigure 4 is a transverse section on the line 4-4 of Figure 3 observing the arrangement in the direction of the arrows.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the slidable follower plate.

appropriate shape and capacity. It is provided, 10A

if desired, with suitable supporting or base members I0 at opposite ends whereby it may be placed on a table counter or at any point within convenient reach of the user. In opposite side walls are longitudinally elongated guide slots II. On the exterior surfaces ofthe walls are metal plates I2 vhaving off-set upper edges I3 and these are toothedto provide racks and the teeth are in substantial alignment with the slots II. The slots serve to accommodate opposite ends of the trav- 20 eling shaft or rod I4 and this is pro-vided on said opposite ends with -toothed heads Ida, whose teeth are in mesh with the rack teeth. On one side is a gravity actuated pivotally mounted pawl or ratchet I5 Vand this is engageable with the rack 2li` teeth to lock the traveling shaft I4 against retrograde movement when in the position seen in Figure 3. Obviously, this shaft serves to support the tiltable detachable follower plate I6. This plate is provided at its top with a suitable nger-piece I'Iand is further provided on its body portion with L-shaped brackets I8 notched as at I9 to-provide for detachable mounting on said rod I4.

y 'Attention no-w comes to a pair of opposed 35 L-shaped orangular brackets 20 iixedly mounted in vwhat may be called the rear end portion of the tray as seen in Figure 3. Opposed to these and spanning the space therebetween is a fixed Vertical partition 2I provided adjacent its bot- 40 tornr with a horizontal channel-shaped rest 22. In this connection it willfbe noted that the partition 2| is spaced slightly from the adjacent vertical L-shaped bracket 20, whereby said elements conjointly .function as guides or guideways. There is a hairpin lifting or ejector plate 23 slidable between these stationary guides 20 and 2|. The upper edge portion of the plate is laterally off-set as indicated at 24 where it is provided with a multiplicity of hooks 25 arranged in a row 50 as seen in Figure 4. These hooks serve to engage the bight portions of the selected hairpins 26. By bunching or stacking the hairpins in the space between partition 2I and the follower plate I6, thosepins `adjacent the partition 2I occupy an 55 inclined position due to the tilting spacer or cleat 22. This tilts the upper bight portions of the hairpins in such a manner as to position them to hang upon the hooks 25 as the plate 23 is elevated. The plate 23 is provided with a finger piece or hook 27 adapted to be grasped to aid, if desired, in holding it up in elevated position. Mechanical means is provided to .raise the plate up and in so doing to lift a plurality of the pins above the main pack where they literally hang in mid-air to be pulled out from the pack for use.

The mechanical means referred to comprises a vertical rack 28 (see Figs. 2 and 3) mounted on the rear side of the pin elevating plate. On one side of the rack is a guide bracket 29 and on the opposite side is a fixed wing or flange 30,' this having a slot to accommodate the horizontal oscillatory shaft 3|. One end of the shaft is journaled for rotation in a bearing in the bracket 29 where it is provided with a pinion 32 engageable with the rack teeth 28. On the opposite outer end of the shaft is an additional pinion 33. vThis pinion is in mesh with `the operating gear 34, the parts being suitably mounted forv rotation and housed in a protective casing or shielding guard 35. A hand lever 36 of general L-shaped form is xedly connected at 31 eccentrically to th-e gear 34. The lower end of the lever has connected thereto a return spring 38, this being disposed on the exterior of the tray and adjustably anchored for tensioning as at 39 in Figs. l and 6. This lever operated rack and pinion means is conveniently located for mechanically lifting the pin elevator plate to extract the pins and to position them at a point to facilitate their selective grasping and removal.

In practice it is evident that the batch of hairpins are stacked in vertical positions between the shiftable follower or ejector plate 16 and the lifting plate 23 asindicated in Figure 3 of the drawings. As before pointed out, those pins adjacent the lifting plate are inclined so that the bight portions naturally fall into position to hang on the suspension and lifting hooks' Z5. Assuming then that the parts are in this relationship, it is evident that by depressing the lever 36 this brings into force and eifect the gearing, and the gearing in turn operates the shaft 3l and rack L and pinion means to elevate the pin lifting plate 23. As soon as the lever is released the spring means 38 serves to drop the plate down where it again positions itself to take up the-next row or batch of pins. Those pins which were previously taken up are simply frictionally held, that is the prongs are interposed between the main pack and the lifting plate 23 while the bight portions or upper ends are in readiness to be lifted out. Thus, instead of attempting to pick out the pins from a tangled mass in a slowand laborious manner, the mechanical lifting device serves to accomplish the result neatly and with requisite speed. l

With the arrangement described itis evident that the pins in the pack are constantly maintained in an orderly compact relationship by the follower plate I6. That is to say, as the pins are lifted and removed at one end the follower plate is adjusted by hand to maintainv the remaining ones in a neat pack so that the latter moves progressively toward and against the ejector plate 23 to allow the pins to be lifted out in groups by the mechanical meansdescribed. In connection with the follower plate assembly it Will be evident thatlthe finger-grip or knob [4b constitutes the means for manually twirling the rod I4 to shift the same back and forth in the associated slots H. As before stated, retrograde movement o'f the rod and follower plate is checked by the gravity pawl E5 engaging the adjacent rack teeth I3.

It is thought that the description taken in connection with the drawings will enable a clear understanding of the invention to be had. Therefore, a more lengthy description. is thought unnecessary.

While the preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown and described, it is to be understood that minor changes coming within the field of invention claimed may be resorted to if desired.

I claim:

l. A hairpin holding and dispensing device comprising a tray in which a batch of conventional hairpins may be vertically stacked in somewhat orderly relationship with the limbs resting on the bottom of the tray and the bight portions disposed upwardly, a manually operable projectable and retractable ejector plate slidably mounted for vertical movement in said tray, said plate being provided with a row of hairpin engaging and suspension hooks, the hooks being engageable with the bight portions of certain of said hairpins whereby when the ejector plate is vertically lifted above the tray, the hairpins hung from said hooks will be readily accessible for selective use, and follower means slidably mounted in said tray to urge said batch of hairpins toward and against said ejector plate and to maintain the hairpins in said orderly relationship.

2. A vhairpin holding and dispensing device of the class described comprising an open top rectangular boxlike receptacle having vertical parallel side-walls adapted to contain a pack of hairpins vertically stacked in orderly relationship with the free ends of the limbs resting on the bottom of the receptacle and the bends of the hairpins disposed upwardly and toward the open top of the receptacle to expedite engagement and ejection, an` ejector plate arranged transversely between the side walls of said receptacle, guides on said side walls .in which said plate is vertically slidable to render it projectable and retractable, .said ejector plate being provided with a row of hooks simultaneously engageable with the bends of a plurality of adjacent hairpins so that as the plate is lifted the hairpins are drawn upwardly from the pack while suspended on said hooks to expedite selective accessibility, manually controllable operating means having operating connection with said plate,A said operating means being supported on said receptacle and follower means slidably mounted between said side-walls to urge said pack of hairpins toward and against said ejector plate and to maintain the pack constantly in said progressively usable orderly relationship.

3. A hairpin holding and dispensing structure of the class described comprising a substantially rectangular open top box, a pair of vertical guides secured in opposed relationship to the inner surfaces of the side walls of the box, a plate disposed transversely between said side walls and slidable in said guides, said plate being projectable and retractable in relation to the bottom ofthe boxand being provided with a horizontal row of hairpin engaging and lifting hooks, means in the box for pressing a stack of hairpins against the hook equipped face of said plate, a vertically disposed rack carried by said plate, a shaft mounted for rotation between the side walls of the box, a pinion kayed on said shaft and engaged with said rack, a lever pivotally mounted on said box, and an operating connection between the lever and the shaft for actuating the rack and pinion in the manner and for the purposes described.

4. Inra hairpin containing and dispensing device of the class described, a box-like container adapted to accommodate a multiplicity of conventional hairpins, said container including parallel longitudinal side walls provided with a pair of opposed parallel horizontal slots, racks rigidly mounted on said side -walls with the teeth thereof in alignment with said slots, a horizontal shaft in said container and having its ends extending outwardly through said slots, toothed heads on the ends of saidvshaft engageable with the teeth of said racks, a. finger-grip carried by one of said toothed heads for turning the shaft in said head to adjust the shaft longitudinally in said slots, a pawl mounted on the shaft and engageable progressively with the teeth of one rack to prevent retrograde movement of the shaft in said slots, and a follower plate mounted on said shaft and located in the container and disposed transversely between the side walls of said container, and a vertically projectable and retractable hairpin ejector plate slidably mounted in one end lof the container and disposed transversely between the side-walls and in opposed parallelism with respect to said follower plate, whereby to provide a space between said plates to accommodate a batch of hairpins in the manner and for the purposes described.

JAMES ROYAL EARLY. 

